With the news that Devin McCourty will be back with the Patriots on a long-term deal, let’s take a deeper look into the X’s and O’s of his game. There are three reasons why he was one of the top Free Safeties on the market: Awareness, Range, and Versatility.

Awareness

Devin McCourty made one of the best plays of the year from the Free Safety position during the 3rd Quarter of the 2014 divisional round due to his awareness and play recognition skills. On the first drive of the game, the Patriots gave up a big gain on this pass play:

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However, in the third quarter, Devin McCourty was able to recognize that the Ravens were in the same formation (flipped the other way) with the same motion pre-snap:

From his centerfield position in Cover 1, Devin McCourty recognizes that he has seen this formation before, and is able to diagnose the play due to his excellent awareness. Once he realizes the route combination, he breaks on the ball and covers nearly 30 yards to make the interception:

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Range

The play above certainly also showed excellent range, but may not have been McCourty’s best effort with respect to range in the 2014 season. In week 2, he was in his usual Cover 1 Centerfield role when he broke on a Matt Cassel throw, covering about 30 yards of ground before making a great interception:

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The play also shows just how fundamentally sound McCourty is with respect to backpedal technique and his eyes. As you can see, when Cassel is about to release the ball, McCourty is still deeper than the post route.

Versatility

Devin McCourty started his career as a Cornerback before switching to Free Safety. This factor combined with his excellent athleticism has also helped him become one of the most versatile Free Safeties in the game. While McCourty spends most of his time as the “Centerfielder” in Cover 1, he can also play man-to-man when needed:

 

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Devin McCourty was also asked to play Man coverage against the Raven’s Owen Daniels in key situations during the playoffs. This ability gives New England scheme flexibility and enables them to disguise defenses better. The Patriots will certainly appreciate having Devin McCourty around for the next 5 years, even if it is at over 47 million dollars.